This invention relates to a recording device and a recording method capable of recording on print paper in a type font different from the font displayed on a display.
FIG. 12 shows a bar code printing system using a system wherein a printer 3 is connected directly or via a network, etc., to a host computer (simply, host) 1 such as a personal computer or a workstation. Installed in the host 1 are an application program 5 such as a wordprocessor that can be used to enter character codes and a printer driver 7 for converting a document entered by using the application program 5 into printable data and transmitting the data to the printer 3. To use the application program 5 to print a bar code, first an input function 11 of the application program 5 is used to enter a character code set specifying the bar code font to be used for printing and bar code is displayed on a display. Next, a format setting function 13 of the application program 5 is used to specify the print format of spacing, size, etc., of the bar code font entered in code, then the printer driver 7 is called for printing.
The printer driver 7 uses a print data preparation function 15 to prepare print data for printing the bar code font displayed on the display in the print format based on the character code set entered with the application program 5 and the print format of print spacing, size, etc. Next, the prepared print data is transferred to the printer 3 by an output function 17. The printer 3, which contains bar code fonts, for example, in the form of outline font, selects a font according to the character code contained in the print data, and prints in the specified print scheme.
However, in such a system, the entry work is burdensome and an entry error easily occurs. That is, the user needs to enter the character code of the bar code font used for printing; if the user attempts to print a bar code meaning a character, a character string, or the like, he or she must enter the character code (simply, code) specifying the bar code font corresponding to the character or the character string rather than the character or the character string. Therefore, the user needs to previously know the code of the bar code font or examine it whenever it is entered. If the entered code or the bar code font corresponding to the entered code is displayed on the display of an input monitor, it is difficult to determine whether or not the displayed code or bar code font is correct. Thus, if a bar code as the user does not intend is entered, it is hard to find the bar code erroneous.
Such a situation occurs not only in printing a bar code, but also in using a font different from the usually used character font, such as historiated initials; it is necessary to look up the character code indicating the font and enter it. Further, although a print font such as deformed historiated initials is displayed on the monitor, it may be illegible for a while, in which case if the user enters a character as he or she does not intend by mistake, the user is hard to find that the character is entered erroneously.
If an application program developed so as to enable the user to enter special characters is used, some of the problems may be solved. However, a general-purpose program that can be used on a familiar wordprocessor, etc., is not available; application programs specialized for printing bar codes, etc., are only available and a general-purpose system that can also be used with other fonts is not developed.
As shown in FIG. 13, a dedicated application program can also be used to record characters in a font different from a display font. The application program requires the following steps: First, at step S41, a display font file is selected, then a character string is entered at step S42 and is displayed at step S43 and further a print font file is selected at step S44, then at step S45, the selected print font file is used to convert the data corresponding to the display font into print data and the print data is output. Since the display and print font files need to be specified separately, time and effort are spent. The user often mistakes the display font file for the print font file or selects a display or print font file as he or she does not intend by mistake.
The dedicated application program passes print data put into bit map image to the printer driver. Thus, the actually printed form may vary from one printer to another. Therefore, if a bar code is printed with such an application, a delicate difference appears on the printed bar code form for each printer and resultantly the bar code may be unable to be read by a bar-code reader. Thus, it is difficult to guarantee high bar code accuracy.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a recording device and a recording method for enabling the user to easily enter a special font of bar codes, etc., that cannot be entered formerly unless a dedicated application program is used or character code is directly entered and being capable of outputting on recording paper, etc. Particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a recording device and a recording method for enabling the user to correctly enter a font hard to determine the entry contents from the font itself, such as bar codes or historiated initials, and being capable of recording data hard to determine although display and record font files are not provided separately. It is another object of the invention to provide a recording device and a recording method for enabling functions to be used versatilely by a wordprocessor program, etc., and being capable of outputting standardized format information such as bar codes with good accuracy whatever the printer type may be and a recording medium for recording a font file required when the recording device and the recording method are used.
In the invention, a font conversion function or a font conversion process for converting a display font in record data into a record font corresponding to and differing from the display font and outputting the record font is provided in a recording device or a recording method for processing record data supplied from a general-purpose application program of a wordprocessor, etc., of a peripheral machine such as a printer or a printer driver installed in an information processing system such a personal computer corresponding to the peripheral machine.
The function of converting a display font into a record font is set in the recording device or the recording method for processing the supplied record data, whereby the conversion function can be used with general-purpose software such as a wordprocessor. To realize such a conversion function in the recording device or the recording method corresponding to each peripheral machine such as a printer outputting a record font, processing matching the peripheral machine can be performed and standardized format information such as bar codes can be output with good accuracy whatever the printer type may be. Further, when entering, the user can use a legible display font with a general-purpose application program and thus can enter a special record font easily and correctly.
Such a recording device or recording method of the invention can comprise a conversion rule storage section for storing a conversion rule between a display font and a record font, and a data conversion section or a data conversion process for converting a character string entered in the display font into record data containing the record font based on the conversion rule and outputting the record data.
If the recording device outputs a bar code as the record font, a printer driver comprising a conversion rule recording section for storing a conversion rule between character and bar code font character codes complying with a predetermined bar code standard for supplied character string record data and a data conversion section for receiving an entered character string from an application program, converting the character string into a character code set indicating a bar code font based on the conversion rule, and outputting to a given printer can be supplied. Alternatively, a printer comprising a function of printing a bar code corresponding to a character string of record data supplied in response to a character code set resulting from code conversion in addition to the conversion rule recording section and the data conversion section can be supplied to a character string of record data supplied from an information processing system such as a personal computer. To use the recording device or recording method of the invention, the printer driver or the printer rather than the application generates a bit map image of a bar code, thus the characteristics of the printer used at the time can be considered. Therefore, high-accuracy bar code printing can be guaranteed.
The conversion rule storage section stores a plurality of conversion standards, for example, a plurality of conversion rules complying with a plurality of bar code standards and one conversion rule complying with the bar code standard selected by the user in an application program can be selected from among the conversion rules. Display fonts corresponding to the conversion rules are provided and the user-selected bar code standard can be determined by the recording device based on the display font contained in the supplied record data. In the data conversion section or the data conversion process, the entered character string in the record data can be converted into a character code set indicating the record font of bar codes, etc., based on the selected conversion rule. Therefore, the user need not consider the bar code font difference caused by bar code standards and needs only to enter data in the display font corresponding to a desired bar code standard.
Further, if format information when a record font is recorded, for example, a plurality of format information pieces complying with bar code standards are previously stored, one formation information pieces complying with the user-selected conversion standard is selected from among the format information pieces and the data conversion section can reflect the format information on the record data and output the result. Therefore, the user need not consider the format (for example, the limit to available characters, the limit to the number of characters, bar code printing spacing, size, etc.,) difference caused by the bar code standards.
A recording device and a recording method provided with display fonts (display font data) displayed on a monitor display, etc., and record fonts (record font data) actually recorded on recording paper, etc., in a single file to convert a display font into a print font different from the display font and being capable of converting a legible display font into a record font such as a bar code font different from the display font and outputting the record font can also be adopted. That is, the recording device of the invention has a data conversion section capable of converting a display font into a record font different from the display font, provided in the font file comprising the display font and outputting the record font as a font conversion function. The recording method of the invention has a data conversion step capable of converting a display font into a record font different from the display font, provided in the font file comprising the display font and outputting the record font as a font conversion step.
The recording device and the recording method having the functions can be provided as a program such as a printer driver that can be executed by a host such a personal computer or a part of a control program of a printer. The recording device and the recording method comprising the data conversion function of converting a display font into a record font different from the display font, provided in the font file comprising the display font and outputting the record font can be provided by recording a program having the instruction for executing the process on a recording medium that can be read by a computer. Of course, the program can also be distributed via a computer network such as the internet.
In the recording device and the recording method of the invention, a font file having a first font group comprising a plurality of fonts and a second font group comprising fonts corresponding to at least some fonts in the first font group and differing from the fonts in the first font group can be used. The first font group can be used as display fonts and the second font group can be used as record fonts. Of course, a third font group comprising fonts different from the fonts in the first and second font groups can also be placed in the same font file. Such a font file can also be recorded on a recording medium that can be read by a computer or be distributed via a computer network.
To use the recording device and the recording method of the invention, the entry contents can be displayed in a display font that can be understood by the user and when the entry contents are recorded (printed), the display font can be converted into a record font for output. That is, a recording system can be constructed which selects one font file, displays in a display font contained in the font file, can print in a record font contained in the font file having the display font. Therefore, without changing display and record font files, the entry contents are displayed in a legible font and can be printed in a desired record font. Thus, a burdensome step for again selecting a font file is eliminated and further selecting a font file by mistake can be prevented
Further, in the recording device and the recording method of the invention, data can be entered in a legible display font and special character code need not be specified, so that entry becomes very simple. Since the entry contents can be displayed in a display font, an error of the entry contents can be checked easily.
Further, the display and record fonts are stored in a single font file, whereby the font file containing the display font corresponding to the print font need not be specified and mistakes at the printing time are also lessened. Therefore, data hard to read, such as bar codes, can also be entered reliably.
If the display and record fonts are stored in a single font file and a display font is converted into a record font for output, special characters can be handled by using an application program comprising input and display functions, such as a wordprocessor where normally only one font file can be specified. Therefore, a versatile program independent of a wordprocessor or any other application can be provided. Further, in an application program such as a wordprocessor for specifying a font file, desired special characters of bar codes, historiated initials, etc., can be changed only using the general-purpose functions provided.
The recording device of the invention can be realized as a printer driver built in the operating system for use as described above and can convert into a record font and output the record font when data entered through a wordprocessor is output to a printer. It can also be realized as a printer or any other peripheral machine for receiving record data from a personal computer, etc., and printing the record data or a control program of the printer or peripheral machine. To use a font file, the recording device of the invention can also be realized as a printing system or a peripheral machine such as a printer comprising a recording medium for storing the font file, print means for printing in a record font in the font file, and display means for displaying in a display font in the font file or a control program of the printing system or peripheral machine. The display font input from the host can be converted into a record font and the record font can be output on a recording medium such as print paper.
The current system wherein a font is specified in code (character code) corresponding to the font can adopt the recording device and the recording method having a data conversion section or a data conversion step for converting a first code indicating a display font into a second code indicating a record font different from the display font, provided in the font file comprising the display font and outputting the second code or bit image data in the record font indicated by the second code and can provide the function of converting a display font into a record font and outputting the record font. Further, if a plurality of record fonts are contained in the same font file, the record font can also be changed by making it possible to select the second code corresponding to the first code.